U.S. Olympians Aliphine Tuliamuk, Jared Ward and Abdi Abdirahman have special connection to the City of Champions; this year’s 13.1-mile race features a prize purse of $58,000

 

PITTSBURGH, PA  – U.S. Olympic marathoners Aliphine Tuliamuk, Jared Ward and Abdi Abdirahman are ready to race the streets of Pittsburgh in the UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, May 1. Each of the members of this talented trio have a special connection to the City of the Champions and will embrace the city’s renowned sports fans and spectators to help them shine on race day.

Men’s Division

Ward and Abdirahman lead a talented field of top international and American runners who will be competing for the $10,000 top prize. Abdirahman, who is a 5-time Olympian, has never been to Pittsburgh but is a big fan of the city.

“It has been a dream of mine to race in Pittsburgh,” Abdirahman said. “It will be my first time in the city, and I am a big Steelers fan. I am looking forward to running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. Training has been going great leading to this race, and I am excited to test my fitness.”

Ward will finally make his Pittsburgh racing debut after planning to run in 2020 and 2021 before the in-person events were canceled both years. He is excited to return to the city, which he hasn’t visited since he spent two years on Mormon mission after high school.

“I’m beyond excited to return to Pittsburgh,” Ward said. “I feel like I grew up here, while serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I look forward to seeing friends and touring around ‘dahntahn’ – this time on the streets as a runner.”

Joining Abdirahman and Ward in the men’s race is James Ngandu of Kenya, who earlier this year won the Houston Marathon, and American Lawi Lalang, an eight-time NCAA champion who holds a half-marathon personal best of 1:02:49. Wesley Kiptoo, who was the 2021 NCAA Indoor National Champion at 5,000 meters, will also make his half-marathon debut at the event. Local runners Colin Martin, who holds a personal record of 1:05:19, and Nick Wolk, who won the 2021 Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race 5K and 10K, will also race.

Women’s Division

Aliphine Tuliamuk is excited to return to Pittsburgh to run her first race since the Tokyo Olympics. In 2015, she ran her first marathon at the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, finishing in second in 2:34:44. She returned in 2018 to win the USA Half Marathon Championships.

“Pittsburgh has become a special city for me,” Tuliamuk said. “It’s where I learned that the marathon was painful but worth the struggle. Winning the 2018 USATF Half Marathon Championship gave me much needed confidence as I built toward the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials.  This year I am hoping for the same competitive atmosphere that Pittsburgh always brings. It will be my first race in a while, and I wanted to come to a place where I feel comfortable.”

Her speed will be tested against Caroline Rotich, who won the 2015 Boston Marathon and has a half-marathon personal best of 1:08:53.

“This will be my first time coming to Pittsburgh,” Rotich said. “It’s always exciting to travel to new places and Pittsburgh has been on my bucket list.  I’m motivated to capitalize on my training this spring, rather than refocus on another marathon. I am feeling fit and ready to run fast in Pittsburgh.”

The field also includes Jordan Hasay, who is the fourth fastest U.S. women’s marathoner of all-time and Canadian cross-country skier and Olympian Anne Marie Comeau. Local Pittsburgh runner Margo Malone, who ran in the 2020 U.S. Marathon Olympic Team Trials, will also compete.

This year’s UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon offers a prize of $58,000, including $10,000 each for the top men’s and women’s finishers. For the first time, the event has been awarded a World Athletics Road Race Label. Only five other U.S. races carry a label from World Athletics.

For more information about the 2022 DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events, visit www.thePittsburghMarathon.com.

UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon Men’s Elite Field

 

NAME

COUNTRY

PERSONAL BEST

AFFILIATION

Abdi Abdirahman

USA

1:01:07

NIKE

Jared Ward

USA

1:01:36

Saucony

James Ngandu

KEN

1:01:45

Columbus Running Company

Alex Monroe

USA

1:01:50

Unattached

Lawi Lalang

USA

1:02:49

Unattached

Carlos Trujillo

USA

1:03:51

ERM

Jack Mastandrea

USA

1:04:00

Brooks Hansons

Ben Kendell

USA

1:04:16

Brooks Hansons

Ryan Root

USA

1:04:52

Roots Running Project

Will Cross

USA

1:05:09

Roots Running Project

Colin Martin

USA

1:05:19

Pittsburgh Track Club

Kenneth Sullivan

USA

1:08:40

Pittsburgh Track Club

Ryan Taylor

USA

1:09:25

Westminster Road Runners

Colin Sawyer

USA

1:16:43

Pittsburgh Pharaoh Hounds

Matthew Haupt

USA

Debut

Pittsburgh Track Club

Wesley Kiptoo

KEN

Debut

HOKA Northern Arizona Elite

Aidan Reed

USA

Debut

Roots Running Project / Tracksmith

Jean-Philippe Thibodeau

CAN

Debut

UPIKA

Nicholas Wolk

USA

Debut

Pittsburgh Track Club

                                     

UPMC Health Plan Pittsburgh Half Marathon Women’s Elite Field

 

NAME

COUNTRY

PERSONAL BEST

AFFILIATION

Aliphine Tuliamuk

USA

1:09:49

HOKA Northern Arizona Elite

Jordan Hasay

USA

1:07:55

NIKE Union Athletics Club

Caroline Rotich

KEN

1:08:53

ASICS

Julia Griffey

USA

1:11:04

HOKA Northern Arizona Elite

Alexis Zeis

USA

1:11:31

Roots Running Project

Sarah Sellers

USA

1:11:39

ASICS

Anne-Marie Blaney

USA

1:12:33

Brooks Hansons

Megan O’Neil

USA

1:16:08

Brooks Hansons

Anne-Marie Comeau

CAN

1:16:18

Unattached

Elizabeth Lagoy

USA

1:17:48

Idaho Afoot

Margo Malone

USA

1:18:02

Unattached

Mindy Sawtelle-Zottola

USA

1:19:00

Unattached

Georgeanne Watson

USA

1:19:50

F&M Track Club

Anna Dibaba

ETH

Debut

adidas

Mary Malone

USA

Debut

Pittsburgh Track Club

Story contact:  Kelsey Emch, PR Specialist, 417-425-9400 or kelsey.emch@p3r.org

About the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend of Events

The Pittsburgh Marathon was held annually from 1985-2003. After a five-year hiatus, the DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon was relaunched in 2009 and debuted with a sold-out field of 10,000 participants. It has grown each year since, evolving from a single race day into a weekend of events for the whole family that annually attracts nearly 40,000 runners.

Read more at: ThePittsburghMarathon.com

FACEBOOK: DSGPM TWITTER: @PghMarathon         INSTAGRAM: pghmarathon

About P3R

P3R is the engine behind Pittsburgh’s greatest races. We strive to inspire any and all to move with us. Best known for organizing the acclaimed annual DICK’S Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, P3R runs a variety of other high-quality races, events, and health and fitness programs throughout the Pittsburgh region. While many of our races attract some of the nation’s highest-profile professional athletes, we offer activities for all ages and ability levels. Anyone and everyone is invited to #RUNwithP3R! Read more at: P3R.org

FACEBOOK: RUNwithP3R        INSTAGRAM: RUNwithP3R     TWITTER: @RUNwithP3R